Giant's Descent

How does technology affect one's description of a good life? Supposedly we have used these gadgets daily which seems to have made us totally dependent on them.

But how does that correlate with the situation?

[We're closer to Miruzo City mister! Look! The Minstral Lake can be seen from here!] (Rikka)

No, it's not about the lake. I was so deep in my thoughts that the idea of not using internet somehow made me feel empty inside. Also about AI...

What is an AI and how does that differ from the robotic maid I heard about some time ago?

An AI is a system where an advanced computer learns, whereas the latter is just the human male's lump of cyberpunk desire. Why would you want to make a robotic maid serve you? Hello?

Other than that...the idea of having one to serve you sounds... amazing.

[Jack? Are you okay?] (Nene) right. I told them my name during breakfast.

Time check it's already almost lunchtime...god why did I forget about that.

I was in a daze until my consciousness went back to me. With that, I saw Nene's worried face staring at the helmet I was wearing...

I wonder just why my mind goes from here to there when I have something important to do. Am I casually daydreaming? Or am I just lost in my thoughts? Perhaps both.

[I'm fine, just thinking about certain things to do for precaution] Of course that was a lie to hide my real thoughts. On another note, the lake seems to be deep blue in color...doesn't that mean it is that deep?

Other than that, it seems that the energy of these girls has now returned. I mean look at them.

[Woah! The Minstral Bird flock is here this time!!! Wow!!!!] (Tanya)

[Can you count how many birds there are from here?] (Nene)

[Let's see...one..two....five?] (Tanya)

The rest were having it easy, but they were looking at the youngest with warm eyes as she counted each bird one by one. It's cute alright, not going to lie. A bunch of young girls frolicking on a lakeside...it's like something I missed during my youth. Ah? Right, I am supposedly turned back to my younger years...

[Hmmmm....] The thing I forgot, I bet it is about RONIN.

How should I coax these guys that what will fall to the earth won't kill us all?

They say that people of the fantasy world are the ones who take it far longer to adapt to things when it comes to bringing in new technology. I kind of hate that this fact may actually be a thing in this world. Come to think of it, I never saw any "cyberpunk-ish" technology those black vipers were having. There is no golem, no magical tablet screen, nor is there an automaton.

I guess this world may be stuck in the medieval to renaissance period type of civilization.

Right, there's that too.

Nah that can probably go for later. Enjoying a peaceful view like this may not be bad even if our arrival at the city may get delayed. Ahhh~ The birds chirping, and the sight of girls frolicking at the water eased my mind. It was as if nothing bad happened to them, at least their way of coping must have been successful.

I should take a breather too, my thighs are hurting from walking quite the distance as well. After all, rest is a must. No one can take a journey that far to a destination without taking a breather or a short rest.

However, looking at the sisters frolicking in the shallow waters made me flinch. A red blinking marker was at where they were! I did not hesitate to act, I stood up and scouted the place where the girls were playing...and spotted an unusual mound.

{EMERGENCY QUEST!}

{QUEST: ELIMINATE THE SCOURGE OF THE FOREST}

{TIME LIMIT: NONE}

{REWARDS: ????}

{PENALTY: DEATH}

Na?! What the?! No way in hell....

[Move out of the water right now!] Tsk. I can't make it because of the distance if I run at them.

I immediately pulled the charging handle of the lmg. They looked at me with shock as I charged at them jumping up in the air twice.

*Swiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiish!*

The grappling hook's cord wheezed in the air as it pulled me toward where it had attached the hook, my skin became cold as I grimaced at the worst possible situation to be in.

Using the grappling hook, I caught Rikka, Alurra, and Ema...but I was not able to reach Tanya and Nene.

[Shit!!!! Move aside you two!!!!]

[EH!? Ah?!!!!] (Nene)

[Big sis! Watch out!] (Tanya)

Nene, seeing that three of her sisters got dragged out of the riverside, then noticed that the part of the lakeside beside her bubbled. She then instantly held Tanya in her arms...and something popped out of the water.

*Splash!*

A massive water column shot out of the air, something big caused it...but I am glad that Nene has a sharp response time. Thank goodness no one got injured. However, I managed to see what the being was...and it made my skin crawl. Coupled with the emergency quest I have received, it now connects to me why it was given to me as I could now see the being.

Where did I see that thing again? It is quite the best to be put into a fantasy story, especially in ISEKAI LN where monsters are also present. Was it the thing Hercules defeated? That immortal multi-headed snake? If that thing was a snake, then this one must be a dragon.

[Graaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!] (????) Accompanied by its reveal, it let out an earth-shaking roar that made the water wave around it.

3 heads, a dragon with green scales, a pair of wings, and a sharp tail...Its 3 pairs of massive reptilian eyes stared at us like a predator sighting for its first prey...

It was none other than a hydra, the infamous monster that Hercules once fought.

=========================================================

What differentiates an animal from a monster?

Monsters aka demons are beings that terrorize the living, no matter what race they are, they will hunt the ordinary. As for the difference, an animal is an animal, and a corrupted animal is a demon. Hence the distinction.

But what does that have to do with the boss-leveled monster in front of me? Also, why is this hydra three-headed?

[Ouuuaaa!!!!!] I fired every single remaining ammunition in the box mag as I moved here and there using the grappling hook, acting like some sort of web-slinging hero and then smacking the shit out of the 3-headed dragon with whatever I had. Bullets, grenades, punches, and kicks.

None of it matters, the big piece of shit had regeneration activated all the time, and the holes the bullets made just healed by themselves. The impact that blasted its flesh was gone, it was healed. I hated this kind of monster, not just in stories, but in MMORPGs. Fuck them regenerative monsters, being almost immortal caused me to have a hard time with them.

*Boom!*

[Fuck you!] I have unlimited grenades, my only problem is that my ordnance abilities need to recharge. Not allowing me to spam nades unto this big mean mother Hubbard.

I grappled all around the place, scouting for any weakness, but no...none seemed to be present for now.

I looked at the girls, and they were still nearby. Damn it! They did not evacuate at all?!

[Jack! Give me some time! I can do something about it!] (Nene)

[The heck is something?! Woah!!!!] I got distracted by her, I was almost crushed by the tail of the big guy as I moved around it.

What the heck could she do?! I felt worried about what her decision was, however, the rest of the girls supported her and she started chanting something.

[You better make it quick] I glanced at them for the last time as I reloaded another box magazine in the machine gun. This thing is taxing to fire mid-flight! The heck!!!!

The eyes of the hydra just looked at me as I approached it bravely...but damn...I feel like pissing my pants right now.

All my bravado is just purely on the surface, deep down my heart is quivering from fear, but I have to be brave for these girls.

[Let's dance you three-headed menace!] I charged the handle and faced it once again.

Problems after problems, I faced everything that came along the way. Be it personal problems or problems that others are facing...

But why do I have to be brave when facing these problems? Why am trying to be brave when I am a coward? That is because of a certain string of words once said to me.

"Help those in need if you can do so"

"But I am scared, what if the villain is more powerful?"

"Say, Jack, when I was still a girl in my younger years, your father saved me"

"Mmm...really? Dad did?"

"Yes yes, he did. That asshole is a total coward and is still a coward until now, however, if the danger somehow becomes related to me, then your father would become a total idiot and will do what he can just to save me from peril"

What differs between a hero and a villain? Somehow the face of my mother comes to my mind, for her words struck me deep inside.

[The fuck am I thinking at this point!] Woosh, the claws of the hydra brushed past me. I narrowly evaded it but it nicked the frontal plate of the armor I was wearing quite deeply.

Thank god I had armor on, or else my guts would have spilled everywhere.

But what are the girls doing?!

I glanced at them once again while fighting for my life here.

[<<LIGHTNING BESEECH MY ENEMIES, ELECTROCUTE THEM TO DEATH AND BEYOND...>>] (Nene)

She was chanting a magic spell?! Wait!!!! I can't miss that now, can't I!!!!??

I mean it's that magic!!!!!

It seems she finished the chant as the magic circle collapsed into a bolt of electricity.....

[<<LIGHTNING BOLT!!!!!!!>>] (Nene)

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!!

Deafening the surroundings with a loud bang, it was accompanied by a strong flash that blinded us for a while.

[Gyaon!?] (??) The hydra, surprised by the sudden attack was not able to evade it.

bits of flesh, which are either raw or undercooked scattered after its flesh exploded. Smoke then fills one of its heads....it got obliterated.

[There are still two!] However I noticed it, the destroyed head was not able to heal completely. It was wriggling like before indicating signs of an attempt for regeneration, but there were no signs of the process being successful.

Magic? Was it effective because it was magic? Or was there something in its head that got destroyed thus inhibiting the regeneration?

I looked at it again from a high vantage point and scouted...

[This is going to be really hard]

[Gaooooooooooooooooooonnnnn!!!!!] (??) Like a trumpet, it roared with all its might.

Seemingly angrier than before, it stomped at the floor and...

It was preparing to breathe out the fire as indicated by its chest cavity becoming swollen and its mouth showing signs of burning embers in it

[Go behind me!] I grappled to the closest tree from their position stood in front of them and placed a device on the ground in front of me.

[Uhn!!!!! Girls!!!!] (Nene) As their big sister, she immediately got the four of them in her arms and then ducked behind me. In the nick of time, an orange wall immediately shielded us from its fatal attack. Everywhere around us was burnt and charred, the ground glowed as it became too hot, the water evaporated as it was being stricken with fire, and the air that coursed at our faces was warm...It was the very definition of what being on a scorched earth is.

[Kya!] (Tanya) However, the A-wall is proven effective when it comes to repelling such an attack.

Surprised by our survival, the dragon snorted smoke out from its snout and looked at us once again.

Shit, we can't do anything.

It seems that only Nene is capable of such an attack, as indicated that none of the girls then tried doing what she did. She's also seemingly exhausted after the lightning bolt spell she did...

I looked at her complexion and it was not good either.

What can I do?! Jack think!

If I screw up, then our lives here would be forfeited!

I looked at my HUD.....and saw

{DEPLOY TITAN? YES|NO}

...

YES!!!!!!

{STAND BY FOR TITANFALL} A monotonous robotic voice reached my ears as I looked at the Hydra in its eyes...

The hydra made its first move by approaching us...but it soon stopped and halted its movements and looked at the sky.

All of us as well instinctively looked at the sky...

*BOOM!*

A meteorite-like object entered the atmosphere, sending a very loud boom as multiple descent brakes tried to slow its fall.

It was fast, it was massive, and it was...our savior.

*THUDDD!!!*

It landed on the ground in front of our group, immediately projecting a blue dome holographic barrier that protected us from whatever might harm us for 10 seconds. Water and other soil matter scatter upon its arrival...

[Hello Pilot] (Ronin) Its massive lightweight frame soon revealed itself after the smoke scatters in the wind.

White paint with red lines, its distinct broadsword as well as the lead wall shotgun hanging at its back, and its multiple sensors looked at us.

The abomination that descended from the skies is Ronin.

[Hello partner]

The electricity-donned sword-wielding titan has finally arrived.